DELOREAN – THE RISE, FALL AND SECOND ACTS OF THE DELOREAN MOTOR COMPANY

DELOREAN

THE RISE, FALL AND SECOND ACTS OF
THE DELOREAN MOTOR COMPANY

Where were you in ’82? If you had opened an automotive buff book during that time you were observing the slow rise – which began in the mid-‘70s – and rapid fall of the DeLorean Motor Company. If you weren’t there, or have absolutely no clue as to what a ‘buff book’ is, author Matt Stone provides a highly readable (albeit concise) overview of that rise, fall and – to a certain extent – resurrection in one of Quarto Publishing’s latest releases, DELOREAN: THE RISE, FALL AND SECOND ACTS OF THE DELOREAN MOTOR COMPANY. 

Although Matt Stone didn’t begin his automotive career until 1990, in his 30+ years of work, both at Motor Trend (as its managing editor) and his subsequent pursuit of numerous subjects as a freelance journalist, there are few better qualified to provide info and perspective when covering the auto industry. And that’s especially true when that industry was (and is?) populated by larger-than-life characters; auto exec and entrepreneur, John DeLorean certainly qualified for that ‘larger-than-life’ descriptive.

In the book’s almost-200 pages, Mr. Stone devotes roughly half to a John DeLorean executive bio (his initial fame – DeLorean was one of the founding fathers of Pontiac’s now-iconic GTO) and the development of the DeLorean sports/GT, while the remainder of the book dives into the DeLorean as a pop culture entity fueled – for the most part – by the Back to the Future franchise. And once that’s reviewed, Stone brings us up-to-date on what is happening in the DeLorean enthusiast community – and those independent businesses serving that community.

There requires, of course, a lot of both money and personal commitment to develop an all-new automotive company, and a lot to establish a factory for its manufacture. (The process seems more achievable in light of Elon Musk’s success with Tesla, but DeLorean was attempting this twenty years earlier, long before the ‘start-up’ had today’s cachet.) DeLorean ultimately turned to Giugiaro’s Ital Design for his car’s exterior shape and interior layout, Colin Chapman’s Lotus for its chassis design and mechanical spec, and a greenfield acreage near Belfast for its manufacture. Any one of these aspects is a challenge, while juggling all three would seem, if employing any business logic, insurmountable. Building on his past business success within the GM hierarchy, his personal skills in the management of people and ideas, and – it should be noted – an oversized ego, John DeLorean attempted all three, a path laid out in some detail in Mr. Stone’s business biography. 

From the mid-‘70s to the early ‘80s, the automotive press was all over DeLorean the man, DeLorean the car and DeLorean the factory. As a reader of Motor Trend in the late ‘60s I saw repeated, almost breathless speculation surrounding a mid-engine Corvette, thinking this then-exotic layout would be in showrooms any frickin’ day. And the DeLorean sportscar received similar editorial treatment – and speculation. Regrettably, between the time of its arrival in U.S. showrooms and bankruptcy in the fall of 1982, John DeLorean’s dream had become one long, tortuous nightmare. 

In a bio that didn’t veer too much from that of Lee Iacocca – both were born in the mid-1920s, grew up in the depression and pursued engineering degrees before applying their work ethic to marketing, the end result was markedly dissimilar. Iacocca would leave Ford and subsequently man the helm at Chrysler, while DeLorean would depart GM for what he thought were the brighter lights of automobile manufacturer. Iacocca would amass considerable success, along with – not incidentally – a personal fortune. 

Conversely, John DeLorean would suffer corporate bankruptcy and, with a litany of legal woes, the almost global spectacle of personal humiliation. The DeLorean story, both personal and professional, is worth reading or, some forty years after his company went under, retelling. 

So pull up a chair (on a day when the NFL isn’t playing!) and enjoy DELOREAN: THE RISE, FALL AND SECOND ACTS OF THE DELOREAN MOTOR COMPANY. As noted, it’s available from Quarto Publishing, and can be ordered through your local bookseller. In the U.S. the book retails for $40.